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All posts for the month June, 2016

If you haven’t checked out my OTHER web page it’s lostindiscussion.com This is our take on Warcraft, the movie

Our Special guest Mica joins us for our discussion after they have just gotten out of seeing Warcraft so we’re raring to go. Enjoy and I hope as WoW fans (like Matt and Mica) and fantasy fans (like Jen) you’ll have a better take on our suggestions and thoughts.

As I may have discussed previous I’ve got a side project going on with an awesome friend who is just as excitable about geek stuff as I am. We may be different in what we like and views but that’s what makes us a great team.
When I’m not writing this third book (I concur with George RR Martin in asking Stephen King how he writes so fast) I’m spending time taping for my youtube channel here.

So far we’ve taken on the world of Captain America: Civil War and this week we’re showcasing before and after of the Movie Warcraft (Matt is a WoW player, I was in it for the high fantasy). July is going to be huge because we’re rolling out and discussing the great houses of Game of Thrones!!!! With new video games coming out (Final Fantasy anyone?), fall premiere on its way (DC Universe on CW, Walking Dead,Gotham) and movies piquing our interest we’re going to have a lot to say.
Add that I’ll be on vacation I might pop up here more, Facebook, or Instagram through my journey.

Otherwise known as my house. The one I painstakingly sweated tears and blood to get in time to move, the one that brought me to a better place to live, the one that brings old charm into a beautifully old neighborhood, and the best place I have ever rented. Mind you, this place was built in the 20’s so there are a lot of elements good and bad that mix into all of this.

Until it gets dark of course and I take notice of all sorts of things. Every little sound from the creaking of the floorboards, the small drip coming from the tub, tree branches scratching my windows, and of course things always dropping onto the added-in skylight in the kitchen. As I am in writers mode at this time of night all these tiny simple things turn into something grandiose in my mind and it runs away faster than I can keep up.

You see, I do have a few fears of the house. Yes me, the one who kills people off with a pen swifter than you can get a paper-cut, I do have fears. Granted some are warranted (like needles and snakes) while others are purely subconsciously settled. Those won’t budge so I figured, hey let’s share 🙂

Lets start with what I like to call the Goblin Door.

See that tiny door? I’m sure its not hard to miss. It sits quietly in my kitchen between a door and the refrigerator. Most would pay no mind to it or take it as it is, a door to something necessary. I don’t see it that way. I see it as just what I imagine. A door that somehow lurking behind it sits a goblin determined to come out and catch me at the most inconvenient time. So naturally, I have put a few obstacles in its path. First, I have a tin object hanging from the LOCKED door, so if it were to slide open the tin falls and I’m alerted to the beginning of a bumpy night. For good measure I usually throw the bin in front of it, followed by the broom, and a few containers filled with dog and cat food. This by far is creepy enough. Let’s move on to the other thing that really bothers me.

My basement. You’re thinking, “yeah so its a basement, no big deal a lot of people don’t like them, but they are only basements and nothing else.” Or is it? Who is to say that this house is not sitting on top of a portal to the other world, the goblin door just being one of many places these creatures my come out? It can be pretty easy to tell that something could be amiss in the supernatural world just by looking at things.

The stairs. yes, the stairs. Woohoo, simple. Yet why in the world are they held up by rope? That is something that baffles me and flashes red lights as I squeeze myself down them.

The moment I step down from the stairs I am greeted by tons of old brick, dirt, and rock since the house was built into a hill. Pipe after pipe above me leading sometimes from nowhere to nowhere. I turn to the left and what can I see?

A place Goblins can go to and from their other realm (or whatever creatures that might decide to visit)

I can only imagine some dark disfigured creature slithering out of that hole and leaving behind heaps of ash.

I proceed a bit further and something people haven’t seen in a while is what looks to be an old coal generator of sorts, complete with real lumps of coal on the ground. To me, this seems like an easy storage units for nibbles the goblins save for later.

Of course we could always hope that the reason these goblins have been kept at bay was because they haven’t found a use for me yet. Maybe they’re the kind that prefer to EAT the coal, or bricks, or concrete, add a multitude of minerals to the mix. Let’s hope this is the last place they stop for if they want a midnight snack.

So there you have it folks. My house, my imagination, and the creep factor. I will tell you one thing, I kid you not, I have a sword that for any reason I hear ramblings, scurrying, clanking, or to even go to the basement after the sun goes down (it has windows, but lighting is left up to two dim bulbs) I will use to the best of my ability.

I was asked a question earlier by someone I find both wise, endearing, and completely talented in all that she does. Her question has been bouncing around in my mind and I realize that my answer to her was very swift and two dimensional so maybe I should expand a little on the subject. The question happened after I was very pleased with writing a prominent character’s death.

I took it as someone who writes herself wanted to know if we had similar feelings. She asked, “Do you mourn them? If you don’t, do you feel badly for not mourning them?”

I responded simply with, “I’ve been juggling with this death, going back and forth whether I should or not and ultimately for the final book sets things to 11. I do some more than others depending how attached I am. This one, yes. The great thing, though, is I don’t write in order so I will get to enjoy them for a while longer.” and “Some I am glad for their demise, though, and celebrate.”

If you happened to have read Rise of a Queen or Of Darkness and Light (heck, maybe even both) you realize something pretty quick. I kill characters off quite a bit. Not in a George R.R. Martin or even Steven Moffat way; the emotional trauma I might cause myself would be asylum worthy if I were to venture down that path. Nonetheless, I do tend to find a great death scene to write. Something I have said since the beginning and can shout from the rooftops…..EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. No matter how lighthearted or gut-wrenchingly dark things get, there is a purpose for everything that I write and it may not even be clear until you reach the final book; I write for the long haul. For some characters I realize that they are meant to have their demise as part of something highly entertaining or a need for vengeance that even the reader is screaming for.

Since we live in the land of spoiler alerts, I guess I should say if you have not read the first book SPOILER AHEAD….

Greco’s death serves the biggest purpose of the entire series. I know people have told me they’re either team Greco or Team Isaac which I have to always answer, “Why not be Team Tessa?” Both are what makes her who she is. Greco’s death sets the stage for everything she becomes as the Queen of the Levé’s, the main reason I labeled the first book of the series Rise of a Queen.

END OF SPOILER

Through all this, I still have to say I haven’t really answered the true question beyond the basics. YES, YES, YES, I mourn my character’s deaths….the ones that I have cultivated and molded for years until their very last breath. The necessity sometimes breaks my heart and for some people, they want to deny that death understandably. I have been working on this series since the early 2000’s when I wrote a small bit, set it aside and didn’t pick it up again until a dear friend prodded me with such tenacity it had awaken something inside of me. With guidance and suggestions Tessa became who she was and The Vampire Realm became so real I could close my eyes and see everything inside of it. It has consumed me ever since and as I am working on this final book of the series I believe I will mourn The Vampire Realm itself, but at the same time feel pleased and accomplished for giving my baby the life and excitement it contained.

To all the villains that I happen to not mourn…….all I can say is I have raised many a wine glass in your demise and take solace in the fact that I can feel better by simply going back and turning to those pinnacle pages at any time I feel the need.

Recent Posts: J.S. Riddle

Matt and Jen want to give you a message. For all you Colonial’s out there (say’s Jen’s British half) Be careful and enjoy your holiday. Stay tuned for our REAL Episode that start’s a July Extravaganza, but you need to watch the video to see what is going to be so bloody awesome!!!!! https://youtu.be/FnzXKZhfrCc

Our Special guest Mica joins us for our discussion after they have just gotten out of seeing Warcraft so we’re raring to go. Enjoy and I hope as WoW fans (like Matt and Mica) and fantasy fans (like Jen) you’ll have a better take on our suggestions and thoughts.